Water bug boat



R. OMAN WATER BUG BOAT June 18, 1963 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 INVENTOR RON A L D OMA N BY WW ATTORNEY 1 United States Patent Otfice Patented June 18, 1963 3,993,343 WATER BUG BOAT Ronald Gman, 293 4th Ave., St. James, N.Y. Filed Aug. 22, 19 64 Ser. No. 51,091 1 Claim. (til. 9--1) This invention relates to water vessels and, more particularly, to a self propelled boat.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a manually propelled boat which can be conveniently used for various types of water sports, such as skin diving, camping, and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substantially lightweight and virtually unsinkable boat which can be conveniently handled by a single person, and which has individual hull portions which can be individually adjusted to provide any desired amount of ballast therewithin during use.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in conjunction With the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a boat made in accordance with the present invention in actual use;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation-a1 view of the boat shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a stop plan view of the boat shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a right end elevational view of the boat shown in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse cross sectional view through the front section of the boat shown in FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawing, a boat .10 made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a pair of hull portions 12, .14, both of which define sep arate internal air compartments 13 which are of sufiicient size and capacity to sustain the boat within the water should a leak form in the other one of said hull sections. The front hull section 112 is of slightly larger size than the rear section 14, and both are provided with individual filler caps within of which water 22 may be inserted to raise or lower the boat in the water, depending upon the weight of the occupant.

The front and rear hull sections 12, 14 are integrally connected together by a saddle section '16 disposed therebetween and forming a seat for the occupant. A keel 1-8 depends from the bottom of the front and rear hull sections 12, 14, as well as from the saddle section 16, and is disposed along the longitudinal central plane of the boat. This keel 18 facilitates the control of the boat during use, and projects only a small distance below the lowermost surface of the hull sections.

In actual use, the interior of each hull section is filled with water 22 to any desired extent, depending upon the size and weight of the occupant, in order to position the boat properly at a desired depth Within the Water. With the occupant seated upon the saddle section 16, this boat is easily paddled from one location to another, and can be easily removed from the water whenever desired. Because of the relatively wide hull sections, this boat is extremely stable, easy to handle, and extremely safe in use.

This boat may be constructed of any desired material, such as fibre glass, molded plastic, or the like. Accordingly, it is extremely light in weight, may be readily handled and withdrawn from the water, by a single person, and can be manufactured in large quantities at relatively low cost.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claim appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A unitary boat hull comprising front and rear portions with a saddle portion of reduced height and width therebetween for a person to be supported by the hull, said front and rear portions each having a compartment therein, a keel depending from the bottom. of said hull extending along the central longitudinal plane thereof from a point spaced rearwardly of the front end of said hull to a point adjacent the rear end thereof, and a pair of filler caps each mounted on the top of one of said front and rear portions for insertion and removal of ballast from such portions to adjust the depth of the hull in the water and the depth of the front and rear portions relative to one another and adjust the angle of the longitudinal plane of the hull..

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 839,321 Richardson Dec. 25, 1906 2,286,350 Drake June 16, 1942 2,371,404 Mumford Mar. 13, 1945 2,674,753 Wood Apr. 13, 1954 2,747,204 Erickson May 29, 1956 2,962,996 Smith Dec. 6, 1960 2,997,974 Hamlin Aug. 29, 1961 

